Daily Inspiration: Meet Joe Hamm

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Hamm.

Hi Joe, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Born in Washington, D.C., I grew up in Northern Virginia. Raised in a household by my Mom and Dad, who were relentlessly supportive of the individual interests and musings of my younger brother and sister and I. We had a lot of freedom of expression and were encouraged to explore and play. I also have a large extended family and nearly everyone is musical in some way. My Dad is my first musical influence and I remember watching him play songs he wrote and his favorites by ear on piano when I was little.

In middle school I bought a Pearl Forum Series drum kit after a summer of mowing grass and immediately formed a band with friends even before really being able to play it. My friends came over, and we immediately started playing and writing songs. We made our first record four months later, and sold it out of our lockers for $2 a copy. It was a burned CD-R with permanent marker and even included a disclaimer. We performed at house parties, talent shows, coffee shops, and community centers. We had friends sell CDs for us on other school buses! Little did I know that was a makeshift distribution model! Since middle school, music making has only grown.

The DIY punk rock music making eventually lead to more organized groups in high school like percussion ensembles, orchestra, marching band, jazz bands, lessons. I went on to study music in undergrad and earned a BM in jazz studies performance at Christopher Newport University in the Coastal Virginia region. While in school, I joined a band called Chasing Arrows that received multiple MTV award nominations, which led to a NYC-based management deal and subsequent record releases. While in school and upon graduating, I was performing with the rock band touring the east coast and regional performing approximately 60 shows a year, as well as playing in jazz bands. I’m a founding staff member of Soundscapes, teaching at and managing one of the first non-profit El Sistema inspired music programs in the United States, which has reached more than 2,000 student-musicians. The nonprofit organization has grown tremendously and I’m proud of having worked to start such a formidable music organization!

Like a plant, it was time to be re-potted in order to grow. My Partner Paige and I made the move to Nashville with our two dogs Tidus and Luna in 2024. Our story as a family continues! Moving across the country is a lot more challenging than I thought it would be, and moving two careers adds another layer to that, and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together. We have a lot of dreams as a family, and I really feel like we’re living out our dreams individually and as a couple every day and I’m so thankful.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Graduating into a recession with student loan debt was a significant challenge. I’m proud to say that I paid them all off in the fall, but the economic hardship was a seemingly impossible hill to climb. Early in my career, I managed that by teaching drums at 4 different locations and performing with multiple bands. There were a lot of days where I took naps in the car between gigs, or ate dinner on the way from one place to the next. Also my working hours were a lot different than my friends. I’d work from about 3:00pm to sometimes 2:00am teaching, rehearsing, and performing if I had a late night show. The next morning I’d wake up at 10 or 11am, and do it again. Having a lot of small jobs in different areas is what got me through the early part of my career and kept me in music. The entire time I was able to work full time as a musician in various capacities despite the circumstances.

Chasing Arrows was being shopped to major labels, and negotiations were moving forward, but the band’s management group experienced delays and setbacks as a result of the financial crash and what is now known as the Great Recession. The music industry in 2008-2010 was experiencing a historic turning point as well with the increasing dominance of the digital music streaming technology, which the music industry failed to recognize in time to capitalize and transition its model from physical sales. The rock band was managed with a record deal model during this transition, but the independent music revolution was becoming the new norm.

Living in the Coastal Virginia region after college was a challenging place to start a music career. In a region dominated by military bases, wages for every industry, especially creative industries, struggle immensely to meet nationally competitive market rate standards. This challenge extends to the professional music community in the form of competitive wages and rate-setting for music work. When professional opportunities are more scarce, and there can be competition for opportunity, people decide that doing work for less than it’s worth is justifiable to have the opportunity. A race to the bottom mentality emerges when it comes to setting rates and doing business.

While the quality of the community, the level of music making, immense talent, and beautiful people are making a great scene, I experienced the conditions for building a music career was full of systemic obstacles unrelated to what I could do as an individual. I’m extraordinarily grateful for the people, and the music community in the Coastal Virginia region, especially the Soundscapes organization in Newport News, the Christopher Newport University music program, and the Ferguson Center for the Arts. Performing with the Jacob Vanko Band, the Jonah Ross Band, and my Hamm Hawks jazz band each were important parts of my story. Without these wonderfully caring and talented people, my music career would not be where it is today.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a full time musician, working as a Drummer and Music Producer. Working as a recording artist, live performer, producer, and co-writer in an array of styles and genres. Living in Nashville has given me the capability of exponentially increasing my creative capacity and productivity in a very short amount of time. In one year, I’m on track to have added 25 recorded songs, produced 4 separate music groups, performed dozens of times, started a recording studio, and established a jazz band called Triple Dare. I’m just getting warmed up!

As a musician, I take a lot of pride in being both observant about the direction a song is going in, and blending that with a wild imagination for where it could go. A song is a conversation with its audience. There are tensions and releases, and moments of anticipation, excitement, relief, and absolute pure joy and bliss. I love playing with these elements, and collaborating with artists to create music that reflects our lived experiences, and socially-relevant experiences as humans and as citizens.

From the performance perspective, I treat each performance the same and no matter whether I’m performing for 10,000 or 50 people. The music demands my full commitment and emotional availability. I’m the same musician no matter if I’m recording, performing on small stages or big stages, and I’m proud to bring that energy and musicality to the musicians I play with and our audiences.

I co-write and perform with Blue Sky Bandits, produce and perform with Sophie the Stray, am the drummer for the Creative Pulse House Band, a music collective that hosts a weekly Open Mic and Artist Showcase event and offers additional artist development services. I’m so proud of the recordings I’ve made, and the community I’ve grown and become a part of. Music is all about community, and I am doing whatever possible to build up everyone around me. When I do that, everyone succeeds and I succeed too as a result. I love playing across a range of styles and genres from indie art-pop, to southern rock bluegrass country, to hard bop jazz, and whatever other new genre names are dreamed up. I prefer to focus on the people and the storytelling and not obsess so much over which style bucket a song is placed in, and rather direct my energy on making the best music I can make.

I’m really excited to have created Mix it Up, a Co-write and Recording workshop and we’re on track to compose and record 10 original songs this year! I’m proud of this workshop because it has already brought so many musicians together. For some, this is their first official writing and recording credit, and for others it’s a creative challenge. It offers musicians the opportunity to write and make a live demo recording of an original song in just 3 hours! I lead this workshop, and have built a team of volunteers that are enthusiastically supportive. My intention is to continue to grow it, and share that growth with those that are part of it.
I’m a person who makes things happen. I form new groups, make deals, create work, build partnerships, and am always creating from the business perspective. There is a blend between making your own luck by connecting communities and building partnerships and starting new bands or projects, and assimilating and responding to pulls and those who want to collaborate with me on something they started. I enjoy both sides of that, as long as expectations are clear, it’s easy to know how to operate in either scenario.

Every day I do something small to learn a new business skill, or improve my technical abilities as a drummer. Over time I see that adding up, and I’m seeing my business grow as a result of those habits!

What’s next?
The biggest change has already happened having moved to Nashville in 2024! I have so many plans for the future when it comes to my music life and career. The best plans require adjustment and the flexibility to know when to stick to a plan and when to improvise!

I plan on continuing to play drums professionally, record, and perform with the best artists I can. I love making records, and love the live performance experience. The Nashville Musician’s Association has been a welcoming and supportive organization, and I feel like they’ve got my back. Continuing to build and grow friendships and relationships in Nashville has resulted in both authentic and professionally fulfilling music making, and also added to my chosen family. I’m confident that I’ll continue to find artists that align with how I like to make music.

The Mix it Up workshop is emerging as a co-writing powerhouse, and I’m excited about the music we’ve created and will create in the future. I’m also proud that the workshop supports Angie Jayne’s Creative Pulse Nashville and Music City Movement with Jenna Rose and Cole Harper, two fantastic organizations in Nashville that each create valuable opportunities for musicians through their platforms.

Recently, I entered a partnership to start a new recording studio! I’m particularly excited about this one because it’s a blend of adaptable recording, and large-scale recording capable of industry standard sounds. It’s called Vocal Ink Production, and through this studio, I’m offering overdub recording, music production, mixing, and recording services for artists. There are 3 or 4 projects happening right now and it’s off to a great start. I’m happy to make those services accessible to my music community in Nashville and motivated to continue building the studio.

My Jazz Band Triple Dare is a lot of fun. We’re performing regularly at Flamingo Cocktail Club and Arrington Vineyards. The band also plays special events, weddings, works with the hotel and hospitality industry. I’ve played jazz for years, and I’m really grateful for this band. We each acknowledge one another’s artistic voice, and it’s a collaboration that I am really excited about. The next step is to release an original record.

I carry around a blank notebook all the time that gets filled with ideas. I’ve been doing this for years, and it’s only 1 to 5 out of about 100 that make it out into the world. I’m constantly dreaming and envisioning the future and what I could do. Nashville to me feels like a playground, and I love being able to apply my ideas here because it’s a city packed with talented individuals that meet me halfway. I’m proud to be part of Nashville’s music making.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.JoeHamm.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/joehamm.music
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Joe-Hamm
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/joehammmusic
• Other: https://mixitupworkshop.com